Chapter 31
Chapter 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Killing Two Birds with One Stone (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“...”
Ouyang Jue, who had frozen mid-wipe of his face with his sleeve, stood still and calculated the distance to the presence he sensed.
He couldn't pinpoint the exact distance, but it was by no means close.
If he picked up the pace now, he could probably catch up.
But just catching up wasn't enough.
It was extremely rare for someone to proceed with their plans knowing they had a tail.
And above all, this was the Mount Hua Sect, a prestigious sect in Shaanxi.
‘What a fearless fool...’
Ouyang Jue's mind grew cold. At the same time, anger reared its head.
‘To come and go from the Mount Hua Sect as if it were his own home!’
Ouyang Jue didn't think the person was an outsider who had infiltrated from beyond the sect. After the incident with Ha Jin-ak, Mount Hua's security had been significantly heightened.
Therefore, there was a high probability that the person was a guest residing within the Mount Hua Sect.
Or perhaps a secular disciple...
‘No, that's not it.’
Ouyang Jue dismissed the thought that had just occurred to him.
For a secular disciple, the darkness embedded in their footwork was too deep.
The thought crossed his mind that it might be a spy who periodically reported on the Mount Hua Sect's movements.
“...”
Ouyang Jue swallowed the unpleasant feeling rising in his chest and contemplated his next move.
While there was some distance, it wasn't so far as to be out of reach, making the situation frustratingly ambiguous.
Ouyang Jue quickly scanned the ground.
He glanced at the cluttered ground covered in stones, dead leaves, and dirt, then took a long stride.
...*Tuk*.
A faint sound resonated up from his foot.
He forced his internal energy into it, forcibly silencing the noise.
Though it seemed simple at a glance, it was a technique that used internal energy to instantly envelop the source of a sound.
In this manner, Ouyang Jue advanced cautiously, like a white snake.
*Swish, shhh*.
Soon, the sound of his footsteps vanished, leaving only the sensation of gliding over the path.
After about fifty paces.
The back of a foolish head entered Ouyang Jue's vision. The attire was, as always, the same.
Black clothes and a mask.
It was a clear sign of someone who never wanted to reveal their identity.
If they had worn ordinary clothes, they might not have been caught in the first place.
Ouyang Jue clicked his tongue lightly.
“You bastards always wear the same damn clothes, as if you planned it.”
“...?!”
*Whoosh!*
Ouyang Jue's hand roughly snatched the collar of the man in black.
At the same time, the man in black flinched, then used the force of Ouyang Jue's pull to swing a knife-hand strike.
‘So you've learned some martial arts, have you?’
Ouyang Jue sneered and subtly extended his left foot.
*Crack*.
The man's ankle bent forward, sending him flying into the air.
“...Gack!?”
“You lack patience.”
Ouyang Jue said nonchalantly, grabbing the man's face with his other hand.
*Crash-!*
Then he slammed the man's head into a nearby wooden crate.
It seemed the man had some basic external training, so it would probably end with just a few cuts.
Meanwhile, the man in black couldn't hide his confusion.
“Who... who in the world are you!”
“...You bastard.”
Ouyang Jue's gaze fell to the man's feet.
Seeing them twitching slightly, it was obvious he intended to escape the moment Ouyang Jue looked away.
More importantly.
There was no fear of the unknown in the man's eyes.
This man knew who Ouyang Jue was.
The corner of Ouyang Jue's mouth curled up.
“Cute.”
Ouyang Jue tightened his grip on the man's face.
*Crrrack, creak*.
“Kuaaack...!”
Ouyang Jue had never formally trained in hand techniques, so it wouldn't kill him, but the pain would be just as severe.
After all, the face is full of delicate acupoints.
Isn't the Yintang point, one of the most vital points in the human body, located right between the eyebrows?
Applying strong pressure with his fingertips, Ouyang Jue spoke to the man in an annoyed tone.
“Asking who sent you is too cliché. I'll ask something else.”
“...?”
“Who told you?”
At those words, the man's face turned deathly pale.
That was all the confirmation Ouyang Jue needed.
‘...As I thought. It was strange no matter how I looked at it.’
The Plum Blossom Clinic is normally occupied by Cheong Ho-won.
Though not an elder, Cheong Ho-won possessed sound-based arts that could not only protect himself but also alert those nearby of danger.
But not today.
Today was the day Ouyang Jue was bestowed the Small Purple Spirit Elixir.
To concoct a new batch of the elixir, Cheong Ho-won had to be away for 'exactly one day'.
‘And that's why they haven't announced to the other disciples that I was given the elixir.’
Yet the man in black just happened to target that specific day?
A cruel smile spread across Ouyang Jue's face.
With no eyes or ears around, there was no need for restraint. It was time to revert not to a Daoist, but to his primal self.
“They say a tight lip makes for a pained body.”
Ouyang Jue, the Bloodhound, smiled.
“And from the looks of it... you're going to suffer a great deal.”
* * *
“Ugh... Keok.”
The man in black repeatedly groaned, but no words came out.
*Gush*.
Blood gushed from his gums, where all his teeth had been pulled.
Ouyang Jue watched him, then indifferently tore a piece of his robe to staunch the bleeding.
“Speak.”
The blood-stained face could only manage a moan in response.
“Uuuuh...”
“I said, speak. Unless you want to continue this 'pleasant time'.”
At those words, a chill so intense it felt like he would piss himself ran down the man's spine.
Barbaric.
It was clear that letting him live was not an option in Ouyang Jue's mind.
Die a hard death, or an easy one.
Ouyang Jue's eyes were darker than pitch black. That gaze, which reflected nothing, seemed to devour the man in black.
But Ouyang Jue was actually thinking something else.
‘Is there a mental restriction placed on him?’
Fearing he might commit suicide, he had pulled all his teeth, bound his limbs, and removed the poison pill hidden under his tongue.
On top of that, he had even struck his pressure points to completely subdue him.
Ouyang Jue clicked his tongue, *Tch*, a sound of disappointment, and withdrew his Radiant Eye.
‘It’s not working. A waste of time.’
At this point, it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave him to experts like Cheong Ho-won or Song Muk.
Just as Ouyang Jue made that decision and grabbed the man in black.
...*Fwoosh*!
Hearing a sharp sound from the bushes, Ouyang Jue reflexively drew Severing Manifestation and swung.
The form his subconscious instantly chose was the Unyielding Stance of the Six Harmonies Sword.
It possessed no special power or divine might, but for dealing with a sudden attack like this, no technique was faster.
*Claaaang-!*
The impact of striking something traveled through Severing Manifestation and into his wrist.
Ouyang Jue's brow furrowed.
‘The internal energy behind this is no joke.’
It wasn't just a probing attack; it was clearly meant to kill someone.
Ouyang Jue instinctively glanced at the man in black.
He was just a wretch who could only make hoarse, groaning sounds, but the intent to kill him was obvious.
‘Because I caught him before he could kill the Senior-most Brother.’
The moment he realized this, Ouyang Jue's fist clenched tightly.
‘So you were watching to see what I would do, is that it?’
In that case, I have no choice but to be even more annoyingly disruptive.
Ouyang Jue's figure seemed to blur for a moment before he instantly grabbed the man's neck and leaped into the air.
To a height of ten to twenty feet.
Perhaps judging that it wasn't a great height, something shot out from the bushes again.
*Swish, shh!*
This is the second time I've faced this, isn't it?
‘Now I can see it.’
The light of the waxing moon revealed a featureless silver needle.
He had expected the attacker to hide their identity by any means, but Ouyang Jue still couldn't conceal his displeasure.
“You coward!”
Severing Manifestation in Ouyang Jue's hand blossomed, following the path of the Plum Blossom Sword Arts.
The sword energy, which had once been a faint outline, had grown much denser after receiving Ha Jin-ak's internal energy and consuming the Small Purple Spirit Elixir.
His body, which had struggled to handle his insights and internal energy, had now undergone a metamorphosis and stabilized to some extent.
It still needed more training, but he could easily parry an attack of this level.
The problem was...
‘The enemy isn't revealing their true skill.’
From the very first exchange, Ouyang Jue had realized his opponent was not skilled with hidden weapons.
If the enemy had been an expert in hidden weapons, like someone from the Sichuan Tang Clan, they would have targeted the man in black from an angle that made it difficult to swing a sword.
In that case, even Ouyang Jue wouldn't have been able to block it without taking any damage.
If that were the case...
Ouyang Jue stared impassively beyond the bushes.
“If you meant to harm me, you should have used a sword, not these pathetic hidden weapons.”
“...”
No answer came.
But Ouyang Jue was half-certain.
“Are you a Martial Uncle, or a Martial Brother?”
No one outside the Mount Hua Sect could have planned this ambush.
As soon as Ouyang Jue finished speaking, the presence in the bushes began to fade.
The man in black had long since passed out.
* * *
After listening calmly to the account of the incident, Bai Duanxian asked Ouyang Jue a question.
“Were you not able to capture the attacker as well?”
“If I had, this one would have died.”
“...Hmm.”
At that, Bai Duanxian nodded silently. It was indeed a logical decision.
Weighing an enemy of unknown skill against a definite source of information was by no means a wise trade.
Bai Duanxian's eyes narrowed.
‘To think he could instantly judge what was more important even in such a pressing situation.’
Seeing Ouyang Jue sitting quietly in a formal posture, as if awaiting his words, Bai Duanxian let out a low hum.
Why did he bring the man in black here, instead of to the Disciplinary Hall or the Law Enforcement Hall?
Bai Duanxian understood his intention perfectly.
“You came to ask me.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
The look Ouyang Jue gave him was slightly curved, as if to say he would have been disappointed if the Sect Leader hadn't known.
Bai Duanxian looked at Ouyang Jue and flexed his index finger once.
‘So young, and yet so...’
His perception is sharper than that of a master who has roamed the martial world for years.
Bai Duanxian found it hard to tell if he was dealing with a disciple or having a private meeting with the head of a martial clan.
Just then, Ouyang Jue spoke.
“Sect Leader, does anyone in particular come to mind? Someone who would know the Senior-most Brother's personal details, or someone who manages the Small Purple Spirit Elixir.”
“Many know of these things, but it is difficult to suspect them recklessly.”
Bai Duanxian sighed deeply, expressing his difficulty.
“The details about the elixir or Jin-ak's condition are things only a high-ranking member of the Mount Hua Sect would know. And by high-ranking, I mean those who have shared joys and sorrows with the sect for decades.”
“...I see.”
From those words, Ouyang Jue understood what Bai Duanxian was implying.
He wasn't trying to protect the sect by saying it wasn't an inside job. He meant that once suspicion began to spread, word would inevitably reach the unknown enemy, one way or another.
And what if Bai Duanxian, the Sect Leader himself, were to get involved?
The news would inevitably spread like wildfire.
Furthermore, if rumors were to leak down the mountain, it would only bring shame to the Mount Hua Sect.
After a long moment of contemplation, Ouyang Jue offered a solution.
“I will go down the mountain for a while. In the meantime, if you find anything while investigating the man in black, please let me know.”
“Jue, is it not already difficult for you to avoid the eyes of the Black Dragon Gang?”
“Sect Leader.”
Ouyang Jue fully unleashed the anger he had been suppressing, channeling it into his aura.
“Given how I've acted until now, it will look natural.”
He meant he would pretend to be his old self again.
Realizing his meaning, Bai Duanxian frowned.
“...You.”
“You can speak ill of me to the senior and junior brothers. It's fine.”
Ouyang Jue smiled faintly and melted into the darkness.
“After all, that's the kind of person I've always been.”
The kind of person accustomed to killing.
Ouyang Jue swallowed the rest of his words.